He was correct about that. “Did anyone ever say the name of the child?”
“I don’t know if they knew it. Ms. Olson said it was a part of Mrs. Bresland’s past that was never mentioned. It brought great distress to her.”
“Did you happen to know Aurora’s first husband’s name?”
“I’m sorry. If it was ever mentioned, it didn’t stick with me.”
“Deputy Ford, I need a big favor. I need you to call Deeter Odom, the chancery clerk in Oxford, Mississippi. I need the marriage license information for Mr. and Mrs. Bresland. I need Aurora’s legal name on the license. And I need it today.”
“I’ll make the call, but I can’t guarantee Odom will cooperate. It’s the Saturday before Christmas.”
“It can’t wait until Monday. Seriously, someone may die here today.” I wasn’t laying it on thick. Death was an imminent possibility, especially if Clarissa Olson intended to lead the parade standing on the back of a convertible and prancing around like a drum majorette. She would be a standing duck.
“I’ll see if I can rouse Mr. Odom,” Deputy Ford said. “Just tell Millie she’s going to owe me a free lunch when I make it over to Zinnia.”
“The lunch is on Delaney Detective Agency,” I said. “Thank you.”
Tinkie had a question for me when I hung up the phone. “Are you going to call Clarissa and warn her about the danger?”
“No,” I said. “I’m not.” I gave it a beat. “You can do that since you thought of it. But she won’t take your call, I’ll bet. I’ll call Officer Goode and let him know Darla has disappeared. I don’t want to involve law officers, but now we have to.”
There was the sound of a door closing. “Someone should have told me I disappeared.” Darla stepped into her small office.
“Thank goodness you’re okay.” Tinkie rushed to hug her. “We’ve been worried, Darla.”
“I had to meet a friend at the River Moon Café. Is something wrong?”
“You had some guests show up.” I told her about the honeymooning couple.
“Oh, dear, they weren’t supposed to arrive until tomorrow, after you left to return home. They were my last booking for a few weeks.”
“Darla have you been down to your boat lately?”
“No, why? The repair guys from upriver were supposed to come down and tow the Tenn-Tom Queen back to their business. They need to dry-dock her to see to the propeller repairs and make sure there’s no damage to the hull.”
“Did they determine what happened to the boat?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I hit something submerged in the river. It was an accident.” She frowned. “Why are you so interested in the boat?”
“Someone has been living on the Tenn-Tom Queen.”
“No.” Her fists clenched at her sides. “No. That’s not right.”
“I’m sorry, but Tinkie and I were down at the dock and someone ran into us as they were departing the boat. They’d obviously been living there. Dirty dishes, bed used.” I tried to limit the details yet paint the proper picture.
“Who’s been living there?” Darla went into the kitchen, and I could hear her running water, but we could still carry on a conversation. Tinkie looked at me and mimed Show her the note? I shook my head.
“We didn’t get a good look,” Tinkie said. “They were desperate not to be caught.” She hesitated. “We thought it might be—”
“Probably a young person,” I said. “Someone who found shelter and just took advantage.” I truly didn’t want to bring up Kathleen’s name. Now that Darla was safely home—and hadn’t been colluding with Kathleen—maybe it was best to let that sleeping dog lie. At least for the moment. Until we found out more about Kathleen.
“Are you going to the parade tonight?” Tinkie asked Darla.
“I had planned to, but I guess I’ll find a place for those two new guests. I honestly don’t know how the date got mixed up, but since they’re here, the details don’t really matter, do they?”
“Darla, how did you meet Kathleen?”
Darla came out of the kitchen with a tray of coffee for us. “I met her at the farmer’s market maybe three years ago. She’d just moved to town, and we started talking over some homegrown tomatoes. I’d just bought the Bissonnette House and renovations were under way. Kathleen had some experience as a caterer, and I hired her on the spot to help me when I opened. From there, we became friends. She didn’t want to work for me, but she liked helping me.”
“How did she make a living?” I asked.
“She’d retired as a hedge fund manager. She did pretty well, meaning she had income and never seemed to lack for anything she wanted. Bought her house and a new Lexus. She seemed so happy.”
“Except for being a little lonely,” Tinkie said softly.
“I didn’t see that. Those awful swingers seemed to think she had a crush on Bart Crenshaw, but I don’t think so. Kathleen just wanted to be seen. To be truly seen. To be valued. That is the one thing Clarissa and her brood can’t give. They can’t acknowledge someone who is just kind. It terrifies them.”
“Just be careful tonight,” Tinkie said. “After the arrow incident on mumming night, use extra caution. Any idea who would have a reason to kill Clarissa?”
“I honestly don’t.”
“If the arrow was meant for someone else, any suggestion who that might be?”
“I’d guess Tulla Tarbutton, but it could have been Bricey or even Sunny. Maybe Bart. Who knows? It doesn’t take much these days for someone to foster a grudge. Any leads?” Darla asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.”
“If you find out who it is, I’ll pay for their archery lessons.” She forced a smile. “Now you two better get your coats and head down to the tourism center. Dress warmly.”
“Will do.” We grabbed coats, mufflers, gloves, and hats. It wasn’t bitter, but it was plenty cold. We’d meet the men at the tourism center and then find a good place along
